


What You Need

by xrabbitxheartx



Category: Andromeda Six (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Moving On, Unresolved Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:34:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25368448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xrabbitxheartx/pseuds/xrabbitxheartx
Summary: Eve struggles to get through to Vexx and questions her feelings for him.
Relationships: Damon Reznor & Traveler, Vexx Serif/Traveler
Comments: 1
Kudos: 32





	What You Need

**Author's Note:**

> Traveler is Eve Peg'asi (she/her).
> 
> A continuation of "Liquid Courage." Takes places shortly after episode 4.

Eve doesn’t even need to knock anymore. She knows he’s in there.

She enters the storage room and is greeted by a familiar sight: that shock of red hair, the brooding frown, huddled up in the corner like he always is. And just like always, the ropes which bound him the night before sit uselessly at his feet, skillfully unraveled. Eve isn’t sure why Bash insists on repeatedly tying him up if he’s just going to escape every time, nor why Vexx insists on untying himself while never actually going anywhere. Perhaps both men were trying to prove a point about themselves. Either way, at this point whatever fear she might have felt towards this man has all but trickled away as she steps towards him, sitting down on a nearby crate. He doesn’t look at her; he never does.

“What is it now.” He sounds bored, and impossibly dismissive. Eve winces; no matter how many times she comes to see him, the utter indifference in his voice, one that once held such warmth and admiration, has never stopped hurting. She clenches her jaw and powers through it.

“We don’t have any extra rooms, but I talked the captain into giving you a bedroll to put in here. Nothing fancy, but it beats sleeping on the floor. June is going to bring it to you later.” Vexx looks up at that, giving her a bitter smile.

“How kind of you to give your prisoner something soft to sleep on. What do you want, a medal?” 

“You’ll be more comfortable. That’s all I want.” She swallows, defiantly holding his gaze now that she has it, “And anyway, you’re not a prisoner. Or, well, you don’t have to be. Just say the word and I’ll make them stop tying you up.” Vexx raises an eyebrow and flaps his unbound hands at her.

“Not like it makes much difference, does it?” He snarks. She frowns at him, the question coming to her lips before she can think about it.

“Why do you stay in here, anyway? You made your point, you can escape anytime you want. You could just…you know. Live here normally. Walk around the ship, make yourself something to eat. Must be easier than just waiting for me to bring you food.”

“What can I say? I like having a spoiled brat like you waiting on _me_ for a change.” He shrugs, “Honestly, I don’t even care about having my hands tied. I just like undoing them to remind you people what garbage you are at tying knots.”

“I’m serious.” She pauses, wondering if she should even ask the next question; it always puts him in a foul mood when she asks. She sighs, deciding to go through with it. “How has Ryona’s treatment been working? You don’t seem to be getting those headaches as much.” Just as she thought, Vexx’s face falls immediately, his mouth settling into a hard line.

“’S better, I guess. I don’t feel like strangling everyone who comes near me. Not like it matters, your precious crew all treat me like shit anyway. And you wonder why I don’t bother trying to play nice with them.”

“They’ll come around. You’re going along with the treatment, and I see you getting better. You just have to keep at it.” He looks up at her again, fixing her with an irritated glare.

“Are you stupid or just willfully ignorant? Or did that bridge hit you harder than I thought? I can’t tell at this point.” Eve narrows her eyes.

“Or I could just get Damon in here to do the rope job right. That works for me too,” she says. That gets an actual laugh from him.

“Why, princess, I didn’t know you were into that sort of thing! What, frustrated he’s not doing it to you?”

“I—that’s none of your business!”

“Of course it isn’t. It’s just still fucking hilarious to me how much you’re panting after that asshole. You never learn, do you?” Eve leans forward slowly, her golden eyes seething with rage.

“He never sold my entire family out to be murdered. That already makes him miles better than you.”

“Not yet, he hasn’t. But I know him. Give him time, I’m sure at some point he’ll wise up. Then he won’t _hesitate_ to drop your whiny ass too—" 

Before she can stop herself, Eve tries to slap him again, just as she had that night on Teranium. Vexx’s hand flashes up, catching hers in midair before it makes contact with his face. Faster than her eyes can follow, he’s on his feet, yanking her up and slamming her painfully into the wall behind her. He holds her there for a moment, wrists pinned on either side, glaring at her with a burning hatred.

“I did warn you about trying that again, didn’t I?” He snarls. Eve has nowhere to look but at his face, warped in fury. For the first time in weeks, she is truly afraid of this man holding her down. She silently berates herself for ever letting herself feel safe around him again; she had gotten close, _so close_ to being able to have a normal conversation with him that she’d let her guard down, too hopeful that he was coming back to her. He leans in dangerously, his emerald eyes never leaving hers. “I don’t think you realize how easily I could kill you right now. Just…snap your pretty little neck, just like that.” Eve swallows, forcing herself to stare him down.

“And I’m sure _you_ realize how quickly everyone on this ship would be on you if you did. Zovack did something to your head, that much is clear. But you aren’t stupid.” Vexx gives a humorless bark of a laugh.

“Bold of you to assume I give a shit what happens to me.”

“Still. If you wanted to kill me, you’d have done it by now.” She shoots him a challenging jerk of her head. “So? Why haven’t you?” Vexx pulls back slightly at that, giving her a strange look. As though he hadn’t quite seen her before now. But he very pointedly doesn’t answer her question, instead tightening his grip on her wrists slightly.

“Why are you still here?” He hisses, “Why do you keep coming back to bother me with your pathetic pity? What do I have to say to get it through your head that _you are nothing to me?_ ” Eve laughs bitterly.

“Believe me, I’ve been asking myself the same thing for a while now.”

“So why, then? You still have some idiotic crush on me? You think helping me will somehow erase your own guilt at your part in all this? Is that it?” He stops, a wicked gleam appearing in his eyes as something seems to occur to him. His expression shifts as he lets his gaze ride insolently up and down Eve’s body, his lips twisting upwards in a cruel smirk, “Or…were you hoping to get something from me? Something you’re not getting from your darling boyfriend?” Eve sputters, her cheeks immediately flaring up as she realizes what he’s saying.

“I-I don’t…that’s not…” A low chuckle rumbles in Vexx’s throat, the sound igniting a shameful heat in Eve’s core. He leans closer, his intense stare seeming to burn a hole right through her.

“Oh, I get it now. I remember that look. The one you always had when we were alone together. You were thinking about all the things you wanted me to do to you, but never could. Like that night after the ball,” He tilts his head slightly, bringing his nose to gently nuzzle Eve’s neck, his warm breath tickling her skin tantalizingly. The motion sends a shiver up her spine, but it isn’t an entirely pleasant one; he feels more like a predator, tauntingly sizing up his prey, “Remember, Eve? I had you up against the wall, just like this. It would have been so easy for me to just take you right there.” He brings his head back to look at her evenly, the desire in his eyes plain to see, “We’re alone now, aren’t we? No guards to bother us, no silly rules to get in the way. Is that what you want, Eve? Why you keep coming to me?”

Vexx’s grip on her softens, and for a moment Eve sees… _something_. A faint stirring behind his gaze, a fleeting ghost of the boy she had once loved so much. A deep, roiling shame twists inside her as she realizes that everything he’s saying is true. She wanted him, she did then and she does now. She’d always imagined their first time would be so _perfect_ ; they would remove each other’s clothes piece by piece, slowly, savoring every moment, for they’d have all the time in the world. He would worship every inch of her body, and she would do the same for him. They would lose themselves in each other then, a blissful tangling of skin and sweat and love. She’d envisioned it so many times that she was even able to convince Damon that it had happened, that night at Club Siren. She feels a twinge of guilt as the assassin’s face swims to the surface of her mind, despite the two of them never having promised anything to each other.

This is nothing like she’d imagined. But in that moment, with Vexx’s heaving body pressed up against her, she can’t bring herself to care. Her rational mind suddenly short-circuits, and she swiftly closes the distance between them, bringing her lips forcefully against his. Vexx returns the kiss, more fiercely than she was expecting, releasing her hands to cup her face. There’s an urgency in his touch, one Eve has never felt in him before. It’s as though he has to have her while he can. As though he could slip away again at any moment. 

Eve lets a gasp escape her throat as his hand slides deftly down to reach up beneath her shirt, his fingers electrifying her bare skin. He tears his mouth away from hers to begin trailing kisses down her neck, his teeth grazing the soft flesh there along the way. She looks up at the ceiling, hearing herself laugh raggedly. Despite herself, she can’t keep the pain out of her voice.

“I don’t understand you, Vexx,” she murmurs in his ear, wrapping her arms around him the way she had done so many times before, “One minute you’re telling me you don’t care about me, and the next…” Vexx slows to a halt at her words, and she feels him tense beneath her. He removes himself from her neck, swiveling his head around to stare at her blankly. His eyes go dark, and just like that, he’s gone again.

“Who said anything about caring, Eve?” He snickers, as though she’s an idiot for even bringing it up. Eve feels her heart drop through the floor, his words stinging as though he had struck her, “It makes no difference to me whether or not we fuck. Still, you’re here. And it’s been a while since I’ve—”

Eve’s sense of reason comes crashing back, and she abruptly moves her arms to shove him away from her with all her strength. Vexx makes no move to stop her, that infuriating smirk never leaving his face. 

“You are such an _asshole!_ ” Eve turns to storm out of the storage room then, hearing Vexx shout after her just before the door slams shut.

“You just figured that out?!”  
~  
Eve clamps her elbows down on the railing overlooking the bridge, staring out into nothing as a million enraged thoughts swarm through her head like a hornet’s nest. The cool metal bites into her skin, somewhat calming the blaze of mingled fury, desire, and humiliation boiling within her. How could she have been so _stupid?_ How many times could this man mercilessly play with her heart before she stopped coming back for more? How could she have thought, for even a second, that she could still save him from whatever was going on inside his head? She gives a frustrated sigh, burying her face in her hands and just sitting there for a moment.

“Bash’s cooking too spicy for you?”

Eve looks over her shoulder with a start, her eyes darting to the source of the sudden voice. Damon is leaning against the wall nonchalantly, half-hidden in the shadows and watching her intently. She’s so disoriented that she can’t even bring herself to say anything clever in response.

“What? No, I—I’m fine.” Damon peels himself off of the wall to join her at the bridge, his expression curiously impassive.

“It’s alright. I know you were just in there with Carrot Head.” She winces at the mention, wondering just how soundproof those walls were.

“And I suppose you heard everything?” she mutters bitterly. Damon chuckles.

“Sweetheart, I don’t need to eavesdrop on nothing when you’ve been sneaking off to see him every other day. You’re not as slick as you think you are, ya know.” When Eve doesn’t say anything in response, he sighs, “Look, it ain’t my business what goes on between the two of you. But you should be careful around him. I know the guy, seen a side to him that you obviously never did. And he’s dangerous.” Eve turns to him at that, raising an eyebrow.

“Like you’re dangerous?”

“Ha. He wishes.” Damon pauses for a moment, clearly hesitating before continuing, “You just…you shouldn’t try so hard to recapture the past like that. Regret hurts. Regret slows you down. It can even get you killed if you aren’t careful.” There’s a strange twinge coloring his words. Eve senses that he’s speaking from experience.

“Is that why you don’t regret anything you’ve done?” she asks. He swallows, and nods solemnly.

“I’d have been dead a long time ago if I ever looked back at where I’ve been.” Eve feels her expression fall, not quite knowing what to say to that. She just looks down, suddenly very fixated on her hands. She hears him sigh again, “You…really had it bad for him, huh?” She closes her eyes. There’s no point in denying it, not to Damon of all people.

“I did.” _I do._

“Guess I should have known. I never told you, but…that night, when you got really shitfaced and I had to take you home, you kinda—you said his name.” Eve snaps her eyes open, turning to stare at him with raised eyebrows. She definitely wasn’t expecting that.

“I—I did?” Damon shrugs, obviously trying to play it off as not a big deal.

“I didn’t know what it meant at the time, but seeing the two of you on Cursa, it all made sense then.” Eve frowns, feeling that unpleasant heat returning to her cheeks.

“I’m sorry. I really don’t remember saying that.”

“Eh, don’t be sorry. We all say stupid shit when we’re fucked up.” Damon looks away from her for a moment, staring out of the massive bridge window instead. His voice goes quiet, and a noticeable pink tinge touches his ears, “But I meant what I said before. He ain’t good enough for you. Never has been.” Eve can’t help chuckling at that.

“And you, Damon? Are you good enough for me?” He flashes her a crooked grin, though the blush deepens.

“I know I am.”

Eve shoves him playfully, the two of them sharing a laugh. They settle into a comfortable silence then, no more words needed. As they stare out into the endless expanse of stars before them, she begins to think that maybe Damon is right. Maybe whatever she and Vexx had was truly gone and she shouldn’t waste time trying to get it back. Maybe she should let go of that memory of the boy with the red hair and look to the future instead.

Maybe that future had been standing right next to her all along.


End file.
